▲ U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad on April 12, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) US-Iran-talks

(LEAD) U.S., Iran fail to reach deal during 21 hours of peace talks in Pakistan: Vance

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By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 11 (Yonhap) -- The United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement during their high-level peace talks in Pakistan over the weekend, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said, stressing that Washington needs to see an "affirmative" commitment by Tehran not to seek a nuclear weapon.

Vance made the remarks during a press availability in Islamabad on Sunday (local time), after some 21 hours of negotiations with Iran, which marked the two countries' highest-level in-person talks since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.

During the high-stakes talks, Washington and Tehran discussed a wide range of tough issues, including Iran's push to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route, and its call for the release of its frozen assets.

"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," he said. "So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement."

During the marathon talks, the U.S. side has made "very clear" what its "red lines" were and what things it was willing to accommodate on, Vance noted.

"We've made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms," he said.

Vance reiterated President Donald Trump's "core goal" to deny Iran any pathway to nuclear arms.

"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," he said.

"That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations," he said.

He stressed that the U.S. has yet to see any "fundamental commitment of will" by Iran not to develop a nuclear weapon "not just from now, but for the long term."

"We haven't seen that yet. We hope that we will," he said.

Vance claimed that during the negotiations, the U.S. delegation was "quite flexible" and "quite accommodating."

"The president told us, 'You need to come here in good faith and make your best effort to get a deal.' We did that, and unfortunately, we weren't able to make headway."

Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said the success of the diplomatic process with the U.S. "depends on the other side's seriousness and good faith," calling for the U.S. to refrain from "maximalist and unlawful" demands, and accept Iran's rights, Reuters reported.

The negotiations in Pakistan proceeded as concerns lingered over whether a two-week ceasefire, which was announced on Tuesday, can be implemented smoothly amid Israel's strikes on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and Iran's restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

During a press availability Saturday, Trump said that "regardless of what happens" during the negotiations, "we win."

"Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don't. From the standpoint of America, we win," the president said.

The Trump administration has sought an exit from the conflict amid growing fears of a prolonged war in the Middle East, and its impact on oil prices and the global economy ahead of the U.S. midterm elections slated for November.

Vance, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, represented the U.S. side in the talks in Pakistan, while the Iranian delegation included Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

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